[04/17/12 - 11:00 AM]Debut of Nickelodeon's "The Legend of Korra" Draws 4.5 Million Viewers, Ranks as Basic Cable's Number-One Kids' Show and the Top Animated Series for the WeekNickelodeon spins the numbers for the week of April 9-15.

[via press release from Nickelodeon]

DEBUT OF NICKELODEON'S "THE LEGEND OF KORRA" DRAWS 4.5 MILLION VIEWERS, RANKS AS BASIC CABLE'S NUMBER-ONE KIDS' SHOW AND THE TOP ANIMATED SERIES FOR THE WEEK

NEW YORK - April 17, 2012 - Nickelodeon's highly anticipated premiere of The Legend of Korra (Saturday, April 14, 11a.m. ET/PT), scored a strong 4.5 million total viewers, ranking as basic cable's number-one kids' show and top animated program for the week with total viewers. The series, which continues the mythology of the beloved animated franchise Avatar: The Last Airbender, also posted double and triple-digit increases across all kid and tween demos, averaging a 5.7/1.2 million K6-11 (+36%), 6.3/1.3 million T9-14 (+125%) and 5.5/1.9 million K2-11 (+17%). The Legend of Korra also ranks as the network's most-watched animated series premiere in three years.

This past February, Nickelodeon created "Korra Nation," an online program for The Legend of Korra superfans clamoring for details and new fans just discovering the property. There was a 750% increase in daily social chatter over the first seven weeks since launch, and the series peaked at 2.2 million mentions on March 24, earning more chatter than the season premiere of Mad Men, according to SocialRadar. The first episode of the series was featured on iTunes, Xbox, Playstation, Amazon, VOD and Vudu in advance of its on-air premiere, and was downloaded and streamed more than 500,000 times. The Legend of Korra has been the number-one kids' TV season for the past 10 days, and has been in the top ten TV season list on all of iTunes.

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the next Avatar - a girl named Korra who is from the Southern Water Tribe. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water and Fire), Korra seeks to master Air. Her quest leads her to Republic City, the modern "Avatar" world that is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. Korra quickly discovers that the metropolis is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip the city apart. Under the tutelage of Aang's son, Tenzin, Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large. The Legend of Korra will air regularly on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).